Genesis 22

Abraham’s Faith Tested

22Some time later, God tested Abraham's faith. "Abraham!" God called. "Yes," he replied. "Here I am."H310H1697H430H5254H85H559H85H5592"Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you."H559H3947H1121H3173H3327H157H3212H776H4179H5927H5930H259H2022H5593The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about.H85H7925H1242H2280H2543H3947H8147H5288H3327H1121H1234H6086H5930H6965H3212H4725H430H5594On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance.H7992H3117H85H5375H5869H7200H4725H73505"Stay here with the donkey," Abraham told the servants. "The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back."H85H559H5288H3427H2543H5288H3212H3541H7812H77256So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac's shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together,H85H3947H6086H5930H7760H3327H1121H3947H784H3027H3979H3212H8147H31627Isaac turned to Abraham and said, "Father?" "Yes, my son?" Abraham replied. "We have the fire and the wood," the boy said, "but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?"H3327H559H85H1H559H1H559H1121H559H784H6086H7716H59308"God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son," Abraham answered. And they both walked on together.H85H559H1121H430H7200H7716H5930H3212H8147H31629When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then he tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.H935H4725H430H559H85H1129H4196H6186H6086H6186H6123H3327H1121H7760H4196H4605H608610And Abraham picked up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice.H85H7971H3027H3947H3979H7819H112111At that moment the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Yes," Abraham replied. "Here I am!"H4397H3068H7121H8064H559H85H85H55912"Don't lay a hand on the boy!" the angel said. "Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son."H559H7971H3027H413H5288H6213H3972H6258H3045H3373H430H3808H2820H1121H317313Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son.H85H5375H5869H7200H310H352H270H5442H7161H85H3212H3947H352H5927H5930H8478H112114Abraham named the place Yahweh-Yireh (which means "the LORD will provide"). To this day, people still use that name as a proverb: "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided."H85H7121H8034H4725H3070H834H559H3117H2022H3068H720015Then the angel of the LORD called again to Abraham from heaven.H4397H3068H7121H85H8064H814516"This is what the LORD says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name thatH559H7650H5002H3068H3282H834H6213H1697H3808H2820H1121H317317I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants

beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.H1288H1288H7235H7235H2233H3556H8064H2344H3220H8193H2233H3423H8179H34118And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me."H2233H1471H776H1288H834H6118H8085H696319Then they returned to the servants and traveled back to Beersheba, where Abraham continued to live.H85H7725H5288H6965H3212H3162H884H85H3427H88420Soon after this, Abraham heard that Milcah, his brother Nahor's wife, had borne Nahor eight sons.H310H1697H5046H85H559H4435H3205H1121H251H515221The oldest was named Uz, the next oldest was Buz, followed by Kemuel (the ancestor of the Arameans),H5780H1060H938H251H7055H1H75822Kesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph, and Bethuel.H3777H2375H6394H3044H132823(Bethuel became the father of Rebekah.) In addition to these eight sons from Milcah,H1328H3205H7259H8083H4435H3205H5152H85H25124Nahor had four other children from his concubine Reumah. Their names were Tebah, Gaham, Tahash, and Maacah.H6370H8034H7208H3205H2875H1514H8477H4601